Posties tell their stories about delivering by bike

As part of CTC's campaign to keep posties cycling, we've been collecting the stories from postmen and women about their experiences and why they want to keep their bikes.

Cartoon by David de Berker - Keep our Posties cycling

From a rural postie in Lincolnshire:

"I am a postal worker who uses a cycle on a rural delivery route. I am totally against using vans on deliveries for the following reasons. The non-driver will have to walk the whole of his route probably pulling a golf trolley with two mail bags attached. Royal Mail state that taking the bag off the shoulders should be better for our backs, legs and shoulders. This is nonsense as with a cycle we do not carry a bag at all, and it is easier to push a cycle round than pull a heavily laden golf trolley.

The cycle is far better in all weathers, as in the heat when pedalling, at least you get a flow of air around you. Walking, pulling a golf trolley for four hours will be a killer in hot sticky weather. In the winter it is possible to push a bike through snow as the wheels are thin and will go through the snow. A golf trolley will be impossible to pull through snow.

Using more vans will create horrendous safety issues for the public. Parked vans will create a vision problem for motorists and pedestrians. Royal Mail drivers looking for addresses will be as bad as someone using a mobile whilst driving. The vans will be about at the same time children go to school and with modernisation they will also be at risk when they come home from school.

I cannot think of one benefit of using vans on delivery. This is purely about cutting costs on man power, as the new teams of two in vans will be expected to do all the packet runs that are now done by larger vans, as well as their own deliveries and probably a portion of another existing round, as well as rushing around to get special deliveries completed by the 1' 0 clock deadline.